U.S. Senators Demand DeepSeek AI Security Probe Over Data and National Security Concerns

A group of U.S. Republican senators, led by Senator Ted Budd, has called for an investigation into the Chinese open-source artificial intelligence model DeepSeek, citing concerns that it could pose national security risks to the United States. The lawmakers allege that DeepSeek may be leaking sensitive data or providing support to China’s military and intelligence operations [1]. In a letter dated August 1 and made public on August 5, the senators expressed alarm over the potential vulnerabilities embedded in Chinese AI models, particularly DeepSeek’s R1 model [2]. They emphasized that the People's Republic of China (PRC) has increasingly leveraged open-source AI models to compete with U.S. technological leadership, especially in the absence of access to advanced computing resources [3].

The senators highlighted reports that the R1 model offers open-source access, allowing software engineers to modify its code to meet specific purposes. They are concerned that the AI model has been found to generate potentially harmful content at higher rates than U.S. models. Wiz Research found a publicly accessible database belonging to DeepSeek, which allowed full control over its operations and contained sensitive information like chat history and secret keys [4]. The lawmakers noted that DeepSeek’s R1 did not undergo comprehensive safety tests to prevent the generation of harmful content before release. They cited an example from The Wall Street Journal, where the model produced instructions for a social media campaign encouraging self-harm among teenagers and guidance for developing a bioweapon [5].

U.S. officials also warned of the dangers of deploying permissively licensed AI models without supervision. Chris Anderson, CEO of ByteNova, acknowledged that restrictions in government systems may be warranted. He also warned of potential broader tradeoffs in the industry, noting that a ban on AI could lead to a monopoly among AI companies in the U.S. and slow down some AI innovations [6]. The senators argued that when the provenance and auditability of AI models are unclear, enterprises risk unknowingly exposing sensitive data or enabling adversarial misuse.

The U.S. lawmakers urged the government to identify and evaluate any potential backdoors or vulnerabilities posed by Chinese open-source models like DeepSeek’s R1. They want the U.S. to assess whether data collected by such models is being fed back to China-based servers and whether there is any verifiable information on Chinese AI models feeding U.S. user data to China or companies affiliated with the PRC’s military or surveillance apparatus. The Republicans also inquired about the U.S.’s plan to use resources like the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) to investigate how AI applications built atop Chinese AI models could harm Americans [7].

The senators acknowledged that the U.S. has previously recognized threats posed by Chinese technology companies, such as Huawei. The U.S. Congress pushed to remove Huawei’s hardware from the country’s networks after determining it could provide surveillance for Beijing. The senators want a similar evaluation for DeepSeek and other Chinese AI models to ensure national security is not compromised. In response to these concerns, some U.S. states and allied nations have already taken measures to block DeepSeek from being used on government devices. The senators further introduced bipartisan legislation to prohibit DeepSeek from operating on any federal government devices or networks [8].

The growing scrutiny of DeepSeek reflects a broader U.S. strategy to secure the AI competition against the PRC. The lawmakers stressed that while AI application development is critical, ensuring the security of such technologies must remain a top priority [9].

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Source:

[1] Mitrade, [https://www.mitrade.com/insights/news/live-news/article-3-1019794-20250807](https://www.mitrade.com/insights/news/live-news/article-3-1019794-20250807)

[2] Senator, [https://www.husted.senate.gov/press-releases/husted-republicans-to-commerce-secretary-safeguard-american-data-and-innovation-from-communist-china/](https://www.husted.senate.gov/press-releases/husted-republicans-to-commerce-secretary-safeguard-american-data-and-innovation-from-communist-china/)

[3] VitalLaw.com, [https://www.vitallaw.com/news/action-needed-before-chinese-ai-becomes-embedded-in-apps-senators-warn/cspd01388c3892a8674002985b5111073e7799](https://www.vitallaw.com/news/action-needed-before-chinese-ai-becomes-embedded-in-apps-senators-warn/cspd01388c3892a8674002985b5111073e7799)

[4] AOL.com, [https://www.aol.com/news/l-county-residents-illegally-exported-231949739.html](https://www.aol.com/news/l-county-residents-illegally-exported-231949739.html)

[5] The Epoch Times, [https://www.theepochtimes.com/china/senators-ask-commerce-secretary-to-investigate-deepseeks-ties-to-china-5897524](https://www.theepochtimes.com/china/senators-ask-commerce-secretary-to-investigate-deepseeks-ties-to-china-5897524)

[6] Senator, [https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-budd-urge-commerce-department-to-probe-deepseek-ais-connections-to-china/](https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-budd-urge-commerce-department-to-probe-deepseek-ais-connections-to-china/)

[7] AInvest, [https://www.ainvest.com/news/republicans-commerce-department-identify-potential-security-vulnerabilities-posed-chinese-open-source-ai-model-deepseek-letter-2508/](https://www.ainvest.com/news/republicans-commerce-department-identify-potential-security-vulnerabilities-posed-chinese-open-source-ai-model-deepseek-letter-2508/)